One Love Was Breaking… The Other Was Healing Me

Returning home from work and just stepping into the living room, Jaeyeol was startled by a sudden shattering sound and turned his head.

A glass cup had hit the wall and was now shattered on the floor.

“Ahn Seonwoo, have you lost your mind?!”

Jaeyeol shouted in shock at Seonwoo, who was standing in the living room glaring at him.

He didn’t know what had upset him this time, but this was way over the line.

“f*ck, what is wrong with you?!”

But Seonwoo didn’t even blink at Jaeyeol’s cursing. Instead, he let out a hollow laugh and approached him.

“What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with you?”

“What?”

“The great Oh Jaeyeol, what have you been up to outside?!”

Ahn Seonwoo was screaming with such ferocity, but this time Jaeyeol didn’t back down either.

Stepping threateningly in front of Seonwoo, Jaeyeol gritted out.

“Don’t treat me like a criminal. Say it straight. What did I do to deserve this?”

Seonwoo was speechless. He wasn’t sure he’d even forgive Jaeyeol if he got down on his knees and begged, yet here he was, raising his voice as if he’d done nothing wrong.

Barely suppressing the urge to punch that shameless face, Seonwoo spoke.

“Have you been meeting Seo Haeyoon lately?”

Jaeyeol’s confident expression flickered for a moment.

“How did you….”

“f*ck… So it’s true?”

Jaeyeol didn’t even try to deny it, admitting it immediately, which only made Seonwoo’s mood worse.

Even though he knew Haeyoon wasn’t a liar, a part of him had hoped it wasn’t true.

Seo Haeyoon meant nothing to Oh Jaeyeol now.

He was just a piece of discarded trash, thrown away to get Ahn Seonwoo. There was no reason to meet him now. So Seonwoo had held onto a tiny sliver of hope.

“What are you trying to do?”

Seonwoo punched Jaeyeol’s shoulder.

“You’re a married man now! Why are you meeting your ex?!”

“Seonwoo.”

“What? Now that I’m stuck at home, you’re thinking about the one that got away? Feeling nostalgic, want to keep her too?”

The more he spoke, the more his pride was wounded. The fact that Seo Haeyoon’s name was even being mentioned between them was a humiliation for Seonwoo.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?!”

Seonwoo pushed Jaeyeol’s chest again. His pride crushed, Seonwoo panted heavily.

Ahn Seonwoo could have wandering eyes, but Oh Jaeyeol shouldn’t. Seonwoo genuinely believed that.

The situation was different. The one seducing Ahn Seonwoo was none other than Baek Jeongha. He was a superior Alpha that Jaeyeol couldn’t even compete with. So Seonwoo could be sufficiently shaken by the two, whose levels were incomparable.

But Oh Jaeyeol’s ex was Seo Haeyoon. Someone who, by any measure, couldn’t even reach his toes. He couldn’t tolerate him being weighed against, compared to himself. It wasn’t that he was jealous of someone like Seo Haeyoon. It was a matter of pride, a matter of Jaeyeol’s disrespect towards him as his spouse.

Finally, Jaeyeol’s tightly shut lips opened.

“Don’t jump to conclusions. We just ran into each other by chance.”

“By chance? I heard you even talked!”

“We ran into each other, and Haeyoon clung to me, asking to talk, even just for a bit. So we talked for a moment, a really short moment, and that was it. We barely said anything and parted right away.”

He didn’t know who he’d heard it from to know they’d even spoken, but for now, denying what he could was important. Jaeyeol ran a hand through his hair in frustration and continued.

“I did it even though I didn’t want to. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to upset you for no reason… I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

Seonwoo glared at Jaeyeol as if he would catch any hint of a lie. Jaeyeol lowered his stance and did his best to sound sincere.

“I’m really sorry, Seonwoo. I didn’t mean to hurt you. You know better than anyone that I don’t have any lingering feelings for Seo Haeyoon.”

Even if he ended up separating from Seonwoo, getting caught on a technicality like this was bad.

He didn’t know what would happen later, so it was best to avoid situations that could put him at a disadvantage.

In that moment, Jaeyeol felt a shocking impact, as if struck on the back of the head with a hammer. It was shocking that even for a moment, the option of separating from Seonwoo had crossed his mind.

Hearing his words, unaware of the thoughts racing through Jaeyeol’s head, Seonwoo calmed himself and let out a long breath.

Seonwoo didn’t really think Jaeyeol had any intention in meeting Haeyoon. Oh Jaeyeol was an Alpha who couldn’t resist his pheromones.

There was no way he would turn his attention back to Seo Haeyoon. He was certain that couldn’t happen.

He was just annoyed that Haeyoon had dared to mention Jaeyeol’s name in front of him, and he needed someone to take it out on.

“Don’t ever meet Seo Haeyoon again.”

But since he readily admitted his fault and apologized, Seonwoo decided to show the side of a generous, understanding spouse.

Besides, in the end, Oh Jaeyeol would become a pitiful man too, which made him feel a little sorry for him.

“I won’t forgive you a second time.”

“Yeah. I have no reason to see him anyway.”

Making a promise he might not be able to keep, Jaeyeol habitually pulled Seonwoo into his arms.

There were days when holding this small, soft body made him feel as if he had the whole world. It wasn’t that long ago. So why did even the scent coming from Seonwoo now make his chest feel tight?

Jaeyeo squeezed his eyes shut. He felt like he was wandering a maze with no exit.

* * * *

“Ah…!”

Coming to after a long period of deep concentration, Haeyoon rubbed his aching arm.

The pain he hadn’t felt while immersed in painting always came crashing in mercilessly once he came to.

Carefully rotating his shoulder, he checked the time and saw that hours had passed. He had even missed dinner.

Should he eat something simple? Too much trouble. Should he go out and get another coffee? As he mulled over these minor concerns and stood up, the room suddenly spun.

Startled, Haeyoon flailed his arms and slumped to the floor. He had nearly collapsed, and the stool beside him toppled over with a clatter.

“No…!”

Startled, Haeyoon desperately tried to focus his blurry vision. He was worried he might have hit one of his paintings. Oblivious to the gash on his arm from scraping against the table leg, Haeyoon immediately checked the canvas.

“Haa… that was close, really.”

Fortunately, the painting was unharmed. His back was beaded with cold sweat from the sudden fright.

Perhaps because he had started this piece with such affection, it was particularly difficult to bring it up to a satisfactory level. He had the perfect image in his mind, but it was too beautiful, making it hard to translate to reality.

He couldn’t compromise. He didn’t want to. For this piece especially, he wanted to present a finished product he himself was most satisfied with. He had to.

Haeyoon stood up and gazed silently at the canvas, several times his size. He had struggled at the beginning, unable to find his footing, but now he felt it was progressing quite well, and his heart lifted.

He wanted to overwhelm everyone who saw this painting. He wanted to convey the emotions he had felt, the feeling of his entire life being shaken. He would make it so.

Furthermore, he wanted to proudly show the completed world to Jeongha, the one who had been his muse. He wanted his admiration as a reward for his hard work.

Thinking of Jeongha made him want to work even harder. He didn’t even want to waste time eating. It seemed he would have to continue working immediately.

Haeyoon righted the fallen stool and tidied up. Only then did he notice the wound on his arm.

Blood was flowing from a long gash. Haeyoon stared blankly at the wound for a moment. A strange impulse came over him. His gaze instinctively sought his phone.

Yes. He wanted to call Jeongha. He wanted to tell him he’d hurt his arm. The impulse rippled through his heart.

The moment he realized it, the corners of Haeyoon’s mouth twitched. It was embarrassing, wanting to call someone and whine about getting hurt like a child.

His face flushed with embarrassment, but at the same time, he didn’t dislike the feeling.

Haeyoon with Jaeyeol had been someone who habitually hid his pain or struggles.

He could mostly handle things on his own, and he didn’t like to burden Jaeyeol or make him worry.

But strangely, with Jeongha, he kept wanting to act pitiful. The impulse grew stronger each day.

Even though Jeongha was younger, he didn’t know why he felt this way. But he still wanted to.

Mulling over his feelings, Haeyoon roughly wiped the blood and grabbed his coat. He would go buy coffee.

And he planned to call Jeongha while walking through the night streets.

He would tell him he was late contacting him because his work was going so well, that he couldn’t wait to show him the painting, and.

And that he was hurt. A little. Just a little.

A faint smile played on Haeyoon’s lips as he opened the door and left the studio. Haeyoon’s daily life was slowly moving in a better direction.